Newsflash: Terrorists Love Toyota Trucks (And So Does Everyone Else)

If you read news reports, National Geographic, or just about any other media covering the Middle East for the last quarter-century, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that one of the most ubiquitous vehicle brands in the region is Toyota. Whether the Land Cruiser fullsize SUV or the even more commonplace Hilux pickup, the region is literally crawling with them. So when we read a report on ABC News saying the U.S. State Department is launching an inquiry as to why there are so many Toyota vehicles in the hands of terrorists, we had to laugh a little. It’s almost like saying, “Why is there so much sand in the desert?”

Specifically at issue is the perception of the high number of late-model Toyota vehicles in the hands of ISIS. Toyota has reportedly issued a statement saying it was not aware of any officially authorized dealership selling new Toyotas to known terrorist organizations and that it would cease business with such an entity if it was aware of such activities.

Toyota’s U.S. director of public policy and communications, Ed Lewis, said, “It is impossible for Toyota to completely control indirect or illegal channels through which our vehicles could be misappropriated.”

Mark Wallace, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and now CEO of the Counter Extremism Project, said, “I don’t think Toyota is trying to intentionally profit from it, but they are on notice now, and they should do more.”

Can any automaker control the ultimate destiny of their vehicles on the secondhand market, especially when criminal enterprises are involved? Is Toyota being unfairly targeted for the long-established popularity of its models in the region?